CNN news 2011-12-07
CARL AZUZ, HOST, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Hey, I`m Carl Azuz and this is CNN Student News. This Monday we`re reporting on a story that spanned the Atlantic Ocean twice. We`re starting, though, with a look at the U.S. economy, specifically a look at the U.S. unemployment rate.
This is something that a lot of people use to measure how the overall economy is doing. On the first Friday of every month, the government announces the current unemployment rate. So that came out this past Friday. The U.S. has been at around 9 percent unemployment for most of this year. In November, that number dropped to 8.6 percent, so that`s good news, right?
AZUZ (voice-over): Well, experts say it`s more like maybe. Yes, the unemployment rate is the lowest it`s been in nearly three years. And, yes, part of the reason for that is because more Americans got jobs. But another reason the rate decreased is because a lot of people stopped looking for jobs.
And when you do that, you`re not included in the unemployment rate any more. During the financial crisis, 8.8 million jobs were lost. So far, less than a third of those have been recovered.
AZUZ: Next up, a group of people who are all competing for the same job: Republican presidential nominee. You`ve seen the candidates out on the campaign trail. Now we`re less than a month away from the first contest of the primary season.
AZUZ (voice-over): It`s in Iowa, it`s on January 3rd, and it`s actually not a primary, it`s a caucus. That`s when groups of people get together and decide whom they want to support.
The "Des Moines Register," a newspaper, took a poll recently, asking which candidate like Republican voters in Iowa would support for the nomination. First place was former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich; second, U.S. Representative Ron Paul; third, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.
AZUZ: Another candidate, businessman Herman Cain got about 8 percent in this poll, but he announced on Saturday he`s suspending his campaign. So Iowa is first on January 3rd, then it`s New Hampshire on January 10th, and South Carolina on the 21st, as the political calendar heats up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today`s first Shoutout goes to Mr. and Ms. Byklum`s social studies classes at John Adams Middle School in Rochester, Minnesota. Which of these rivers flows through Germany? You know what to do. Is it the Seine, Thames, Volga or Rhine? You`ve got three seconds, go.
The Rhine is the only river on this list that makes its way through Germany. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout.
AZUZ: The water level in part of the Rhine is at a record low. But that`s not what our next report today is about. It`s about what was found in the river when the water level dropped.
AZUZ (voice-over): Bombs. Two of them. Plus a fog device that were all leftover from World War II. These things sat under the surface of the river for 65 years, and they might have been old, but they were still very dangerous. So experts had to come out and defuse them. Officials said that has been taken care of, so things are safe now. That means the 45,000 people who had to evacuate can come back home.
The bombs were found in the city of Koblenz. Half the population had to leave because of concerns for their safety. Volunteers helped evacuate hospitals and senior citizens` centers. One local reporter said this kind of thing, believe it or not, is just part of life for some Germans.
HANNAH CLEAVER, JOURNALIST, THELOCAL.DE (voice-over): The people in Germany are generally stoic about it. I mean, the danger is there. It`s been there for ages. And now it`s been discovered, the danger is going to be put aside, and then they will be able to go home. It does happen a lot here. The Koblenz bomb this weekend is an exception, because it`s so big and so many people have had to move.
But it does happen in Germany from time to time. People have to leave for an afternoon for, you know, maybe a morning when a bomb is discovered near their homes. And then it`s generally taken care of, usually without any massive danger, although sometimes things do go wrong and people do get hurt. But, generally, it`s part of life in Germany, you know, even so many years after the end of the war.
AZUZ: The results are in from the first round of elections in Egypt. Citizens in that country went to the polls last week to cast their votes for members of parliament. This is Egypt`s first election since long-time president Hosni Mubarak was forced out of power. That happened during a political revolution earlier this year.
AZUZ (voice-over): The Muslim Brotherhood is a group that was active in that revolution, and the group`s political party got the most votes in this round of elections. It got 40 percent. The Muslim Brotherhood is Egypt`s oldest and largest Islamic organization.
The strong showing of religious groups was a trend in these elections. Voters cast their ballots for Islamist parties more than they did for secular or non-religious parties. This was the beginning of an election process that has a lot of steps. The voting for president won`t happen until some time next year.